How often to freeze frozen foods?

I had been feeding frozen foods daily (brine shrimp or bloodworms). I
usually try to rinse them out pretty good. I think I'm a little happier
with my water quality now that I've switched to one meal of frozen every
other day. Will this be enough frozen foods for the fish?

I've got Rainbowfish in one tank...those guys are like sharks! I don't
think any food every hits the bottom, the weekly 20% water changes keep
everything in pretty good shape there. It's the Cherry Barbs in the 10 gal
that I'm the most concerned with on water quality.

"Fish Heads" wrote in message
...
I had been feeding frozen foods daily (brine shrimp or bloodworms). I
usually try to rinse them out pretty good. I think I'm a little
happier
with my water quality now that I've switched to one meal of frozen
every
other day. Will this be enough frozen foods for the fish?

I've got Rainbowfish in one tank...those guys are like sharks! I don't
think any food every hits the bottom, the weekly 20% water changes keep
everything in pretty good shape there. It's the Cherry Barbs in the 10
gal
that I'm the most concerned with on water quality.

From your subject line, I thought you were asking how often you could
re-freeze frozen foods. I had a customer this week who was microwaving
the frozen food (very bad). Once thawed, frozen food should not be
re-frozen. The longer it's in a thawed state, the more bacteria get
established (and this happens very quickly) and the food loses it's
ability to stay intact (turns to mush). Inspect your frozen foods at the
LFS for signs of re-freezing (usually a frozen liquid at the edge of the
bag). Avoid this. It may have thawed in transit (at least once) and you
don't know for how long. Good LFS will inspect and reject thawed frozen
foods, but good LFS are sometimes few & far between.

There are 2 methods I know of for feeding. If you have a mixture of
different species, especially if there is a mix of slow & fast feeders,
break a portion of the frozen food and place in a dish of lukewarm water
(like aquarium water). I use small stainless steel food/water bowls for
cats, as they conduct heat well and are easy to clean. Stir periodically
and as soon as it's all thawed, dump it all (or enough that they all get
some each time) in the tank, opposite the filter intake (or turn off the
filter during the feeding period). In chaos, everyone gets a chance to
eat. This method even favours smaller fish, as their bites are bigger
relative to their body size, and larger fish might even not bother eating
much, when fed this way.

The 2nd method used is when the fish are all fairly small and of the same
size and the same species (or similar in feeding abilities). In this
case, break a portion off and drop it in the tank. It will float and
they will pick it apart as it thaws. This works fine for some larger
fish too, like Discus. Although you have less control over where it
floats, because it dissolves slowly, there is less chance of it getting
into the filter intake. Avoid this method as soon as any of the fish are
able to swim away with the bulk of the food. Feeding rings are sometimes
useful too, ymmv.

On rainbowfish ) In a very well populated (crowded ;~) 60g, I have
about 6 species of rainbows (and a few Balas and Golden Wonder Killies).
Whatever I feed, in whatever quantity I choose, I don't think food has
ever fallen lower than 2.5". I have no bottom feeders in this tank (what
would be the point?). 2nd place goes to a tank of Buenos Aires Tetras
and 3rd place goes to the Danio tank.

NetMax

"NetMax" wrote in message
news:3kqPa.17017
There are 2 methods I know of for feeding. If you have a mixture of
different species, especially if there is a mix of slow & fast feeders,
break a portion of the frozen food and place in a dish of lukewarm water
(like aquarium water). I use small stainless steel food/water bowls for
cats, as they conduct heat well and are easy to clean. Stir periodically
and as soon as it's all thawed, dump it all (or enough that they all get
some each time) in the tank, opposite the filter intake (or turn off the
filter during the feeding period).



NetMax- I was under the impression that I was supposed to rinse/strain all
frozen foods to remove the "waste water" that surrounds the actual food?? I
thought too much unedible schmutz went into the water if you just dumped it
in.
I'd be happy *not* to have to do this. As it is I put my piece of frozen
food in a coffee filter and let it set until it thaws a bit, or run water
over it to thaw it. Then I rinse/squeeze out the excess water and feed the
food bits with a spoon.
Is this not necessary?

--
Toni
http://www.cearbhaill.com/aquarium.htm

"Toni" wrote in message
rthlink.net...

"NetMax" wrote in message
news:3kqPa.17017
There are 2 methods I know of for feeding. If you have a mixture of
different species, especially if there is a mix of slow & fast
feeders,
break a portion of the frozen food and place in a dish of lukewarm
water
(like aquarium water). I use small stainless steel food/water bowls
for
cats, as they conduct heat well and are easy to clean. Stir
periodically
and as soon as it's all thawed, dump it all (or enough that they all
get
some each time) in the tank, opposite the filter intake (or turn off
the
filter during the feeding period).



NetMax- I was under the impression that I was supposed to rinse/strain
all
frozen foods to remove the "waste water" that surrounds the actual
food?? I
thought too much unedible schmutz went into the water if you just
dumped it
in.
I'd be happy *not* to have to do this. As it is I put my piece of
frozen
food in a coffee filter and let it set until it thaws a bit, or run
water
over it to thaw it. Then I rinse/squeeze out the excess water and feed
the
food bits with a spoon.
Is this not necessary?

--
Toni

Most good answers in the aquarium trade start with "it depends" ;~),
followed by a bunch of questions, and then the answer is still heavily
rooted in personal experience and opinion.

That 'schmutz' has a lot of indigestable organic pollution. If your tank
was small, or marginally filtered, or there was a reason for extra
cleansiness (ie: discus fry tank, breeding tank, hospital tank, still
cycling etc), then a quick rinse in a shrimp net (or a coffee filter as
you use) is IMHO a very good idea. If you feed frozen foods
infrequently, or the tank is large with a moderate bio-load (so you have
active & stable bacterial levels established), or you are overfiltered
(which you should always be), then use your discretion. I will sometimes
pour off the excess water from my shrimp melting container. As a general
rule of thumb (which I am making up right now), whatever cloudiness it
leaves behind should be gone within 20 minutes, or else you shouldn't be
doing it. Does that sound about right?

I don't handle my tanks with kid gloves. I do observe all the basics,
and after the fish, plants and tank are stable & healthy (3 months?), I'm
much more relaxed and carefree about their operation. My tanks are
generally not smaller than 60g (which makes them easier to balance and
stay balanced), and I do not overfeed. Another way to think about this
organic pollution is to decide what effect a dead and rotting fish would
have in your aquarium. The shrimp 'juice' might represent one or two
small Neon Tetra's worth of organic matter. Most of my tank set-ups
would absorb the decay of a dozen Neon Tetras without a ripple. Perhaps
a gruesome method to put a different perspective on your question, but
anyone who has fished a skeleton out would have an idea of their tank's
ability to harmlessly process decay, (and in an aquarium, there is always
something in decay).

NetMax

http://www.cearbhaill.com/aquarium.htm

NetMax wrote in message
.. .

"Fish Heads" wrote in message
...
I had been feeding frozen foods daily (brine shrimp or bloodworms). I
usually try to rinse them out pretty good. I think I'm a little
happier
with my water quality now that I've switched to one meal of frozen
every
other day. Will this be enough frozen foods for the fish?

I've got Rainbowfish in one tank...those guys are like sharks! I don't
think any food every hits the bottom, the weekly 20% water changes keep
everything in pretty good shape there. It's the Cherry Barbs in the 10
gal
that I'm the most concerned with on water quality.

From your subject line, I thought you were asking how often you could
re-freeze frozen foods. I had a customer this week who was microwaving
the frozen food (very bad). Once thawed, frozen food should not be
re-frozen. The longer it's in a thawed state, the more bacteria get
established (and this happens very quickly) and the food loses it's
ability to stay intact (turns to mush). Inspect your frozen foods at the
LFS for signs of re-freezing (usually a frozen liquid at the edge of the
bag). Avoid this. It may have thawed in transit (at least once) and you
don't know for how long. Good LFS will inspect and reject thawed frozen
foods, but good LFS are sometimes few & far between.

There are 2 methods I know of for feeding. If you have a mixture of
different species, especially if there is a mix of slow & fast feeders,
break a portion of the frozen food and place in a dish of lukewarm water
(like aquarium water). I use small stainless steel food/water bowls for
cats, as they conduct heat well and are easy to clean. Stir periodically
and as soon as it's all thawed, dump it all (or enough that they all get
some each time) in the tank, opposite the filter intake (or turn off the
filter during the feeding period). In chaos, everyone gets a chance to
eat. This method even favours smaller fish, as their bites are bigger
relative to their body size, and larger fish might even not bother eating
much, when fed this way.

The 2nd method used is when the fish are all fairly small and of the same
size and the same species (or similar in feeding abilities). In this
case, break a portion off and drop it in the tank. It will float and
they will pick it apart as it thaws. This works fine for some larger
fish too, like Discus. Although you have less control over where it
floats, because it dissolves slowly, there is less chance of it getting
into the filter intake. Avoid this method as soon as any of the fish are
able to swim away with the bulk of the food. Feeding rings are sometimes
useful too, ymmv.

On rainbowfish ) In a very well populated (crowded ;~) 60g, I have
about 6 species of rainbows (and a few Balas and Golden Wonder Killies).
Whatever I feed, in whatever quantity I choose, I don't think food has
ever fallen lower than 2.5". I have no bottom feeders in this tank (what
would be the point?). 2nd place goes to a tank of Buenos Aires Tetras
and 3rd place goes to the Danio tank.

NetMax


The only flaw I can find in NetMax's reply (and the reason I no longer buy
frozen brine shrimp) is that the moisture leftover when thawing the shrimp
in highly saturated with body juices. This doesn't get eaten and can be a
major source of pollution. Thaw the shrimp, yes, but gently rinse it
through a fine mesh net to eliminate much of the non edible juice.

Jim

"Jim Brown" wrote in message
.. .

NetMax wrote in message
.. .

"Fish Heads" wrote in message
...
I had been feeding frozen foods daily (brine shrimp or bloodworms).
I
usually try to rinse them out pretty good.
snip
There are 2 methods I know of for feeding. If you have a mixture of
different species, especially if there is a mix of slow & fast
feeders,
break a portion of the frozen food and place in a dish of lukewarm
water
(like aquarium water). I use small stainless steel food/water bowls
for
cats, as they conduct heat well and are easy to clean. Stir
periodically
and as soon as it's all thawed, dump it all (or enough that they all
get
some each time) in the tank, opposite the filter intake (or turn off
the
filter during the feeding period). In chaos, everyone gets a chance
to
eat. This method even favours smaller fish, as their bites are
bigger
relative to their body size, and larger fish might even not bother
eating
much, when fed this way.

The 2nd method used is when the fish are all fairly small and of the
same
size and the same species (or similar in feeding abilities). In this
case, break a portion off and drop it in the tank. It will float and
they will pick it apart as it thaws. This works fine for some larger
fish too, like Discus. Although you have less control over where it
floats, because it dissolves slowly, there is less chance of it
getting
into the filter intake. Avoid this method as soon as any of the fish
are
able to swim away with the bulk of the food. Feeding rings are
sometimes
useful too, ymmv.
snip
NetMax


The only flaw I can find in NetMax's reply (and the reason I no longer
buy
frozen brine shrimp) is that the moisture leftover when thawing the
shrimp
in highly saturated with body juices. This doesn't get eaten and can
be a
major source of pollution. Thaw the shrimp, yes, but gently rinse it
through a fine mesh net to eliminate much of the non edible juice.

Jim

Regarding rinsing the frozen brine shrimp, did I never convey to you just
how lazy I am? ;~) I'll admit that when I thaw a big chunk of shrimp
(about 4oz), I sometimes let it settle to the bottom of my melting bowl,
and then I pour off a portion of the water (now somewhat juicy) before
dropping it into the tanks. The amount of contamination varys by
manufacturer, and if it's ever been re-frozen, it's much worst. At home,
I drop the frozen block of shrimp into my powerfilters. I have some
plastic Hornwort hanging in the filter's output and the frozen shrimp
gets caught up in the plant while is slowly dissolves. The plant was
there to prevent overcurious fish from swimming upstream into the filter
and then jumping out. The amount of contamination does not bother me.
The tanks are large (nothing smaller than a 60g), I usually have a range
of mouths to feed, and what is indigestible is converted into something
else by my filters. I would be more concerned with smaller tanks though,
so it's a good point to consider rinsing.

I'm still convinced that frozen shrimp is one of the best foods though.
It has a lot of fibre which is missing from their usual diet, it's animal
but they fed off of algae, so it's got vegetation in it, and coming from
a marine environment, it's not likely to have freshwater contagions to
worry about. There are probably better processed foods (ie: community
delight), but I'm from the old school still ;o)

NetMax